AUTHOR=Lautenschlager Stephan , Ferreira Gabriel S. , Werneburg Ingmar TITLE=Sensory Evolution and Ecology of Early Turtles Revealed by Digital Endocranial Reconstructions JOURNAL=Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution VOLUME=6 YEAR=2018 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/ecology-and-evolution/articles/10.3389/fevo.2018.00007 DOI=10.3389/fevo.2018.00007 ISSN=2296-701X ABSTRACT=
In the past few years, new fossil finds and novel methodological approaches have prompted intensive discussions about the phylogenetic affinities of turtles and rekindled the debate on their ecological origin, with very distinct scenarios, such as fossoriality and aquatic habitat occupation, proposed for the earliest stem-turtles. While research has focused largely on the origin of the anapsid skull and unique postcranial anatomy, little is known about the endocranial anatomy of turtles. Here, we provide 3D digital reconstructions and comparative descriptions of the brain, nasal cavity, neurovascular structures and endosseous labyrinth of